When In Manila and you still haven’t found a sweet Honeycomb tablet to suit your needs then you might want to hear about Lenovo‘s latest entry to the Android tablet army… The IdeaPad K1.
Tech Specs
The IdeaPad K1 have similar internals to most Android tablets out in the market. Powered by a 1Ghz dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1Gb of RAM for all your processing needs. 32Gb worth of built-in-storage that could be expanded using a microSD slot. A very nice resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels on a 10.1 inch screen.
Bordering the IdeaPad K1 a silver plastic edge which hosts different ports and buttons. On top we have the usual power button, lock switch and the volume rack, while on the bottom we have the 3.5mm jack, microHDMI port and docking port for charging and USB connection. The speakers could be found at the back, along with the 5MP camera with flash while we also have the 2MP camera up front.
Actually, the tech specs are pretty much similar to that of one Android tablet that we know but Lenovo added a few features in the IdeaPad K1 that might make you defect to their side of the table.
Whats Different
While the IdeaPad K1 has been out for a few weeks now, its entry on the market seems a little bit too late since you got all these similarly spec’d Android tablets that are already established. So how does it differentiate itself from the current market?
First thing you notice on a the IdeaPad K1 is the brightly colored back plate. While what we have on the floor was in sexy red, the IdeaPad K1 also has two other colors, white and black. It is a nice differentiating feature especially because most tablets today are mono-colored.
Another rather nice addition to mix is the UI mod. It has a customized Android features that other tablets don’t have such as closing apps from the task manager, customized shortcuts and favorite apps. Aside from UI mods, it has a specialized hardware button that could be used as a back button.
While the above features are nice most users will be more excited with the 30 apps included with the IdeaPad K1. These apps are premium apps that cost a lot of money to buy and Lenovo offers them for free out of the box. There are some apps that are redundant such as the mail apps but I like choices and it is rather nice to be able to pick out which apps you want to use. I especially like the drawing app which somehow encourages its users to be creative.
Overview and Comparisons
I really like the IdeaPad K1, it has a nice solid build and a very stylish look to boot. The custom UI has a minimalistic feel and lets users have more customization up front plus it is good to have easy navigation and extra features that stock Android doesn’t have. A wide array of apps out of the box will make it very appealing especially on a non-tech savvy person’s hand.
Although it is thicker and heavier (not really that much) than most tablets on the market, it is also offers more than what you could buy for 24,900php, to which Lenovo offers 32gb of internal memory against 16gb of what other companies offer. It also has features such a video format support and flash support and others that you could enjoy on an Android tablet.
Consumers wants choices and Lenovo gave them that with the IdeaPad K1, yes… they might have entered the market later than the competition but they are offering more than what other tablets have for similar prices. So next time When In Manila, you might want to check out your Lenovo shops for the IdeaPad K1.
Gadget Launch: Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Android Honeycomb Tablet
